Psychosocial Development Of Oprah Winfrey

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“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complex person you were intended to be.” (“Oprah Winfrey,” 2017) Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi to an unwed teenage mother in 1954. Being initially raised by her grandmother until the age of six. A young Oprah was then sent to live with her mother across the country where she was molested from the ages of 9 to 13. After having a miscarriage at the age of 14, Oprah was sent to live with her father where she experienced great success in her high school career, eventually earning a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. Majoring in media, Oprah lands her first broadcasting job while attending college and soon becomes the first African American anchor for Nashville’s evening …show more content…

Spanning from the ages of birth to about one and a half years of age, for Oprah, although she was brought into world by a single, unwed housemaid, she was brought up and cared for by her maternal grand mother in a poverty stricken, rural area in Mississippi (“Oprah Winfrey,” 2017). Characterized by a general uncertainty about world in which they live, the infant in this stage looks towards their caregiver for somesort of stability and consistency in their environment, through which the basic sense of trust is gained if completed successfully. Since Oprah was given to her grandmother, which presented a more stable living situation than if she had remained with her mother, she was provided a stable environment through which she can be consistently cared. Successfully developing he basic virtue of hope, Oprah had the understanding that if a crises were to arise, that she will have a semblance of support from her provided environment …show more content…

In this stage, we see the child asserting themselves more and interacting with other children. The combination of these two results in the child wanting to intiate activities with others. This often times being seen as aggressive and wayward, leading to increased punishment by the caretaker (REFERENCE). This stage, unlike the previous two, is not as clear to discern. Oprah’s grandmother, although teaching her how to read, was also very strict and would beat frequently due to not being satisfied with her behavior or the completion of her chores. This coupled with their level of poverty characterized by Oprah often having to wear potatoe sacks as clothing to school, leading to her being ridiculed and ostracized by other children, resulted in feelings of guilt for Oprah (“Oprah Winfrey,” 2017). According to Erikson, the acquisition of guilt in this stage can make the child slow to interact with peers and may stifle one’s creativity. Erikson goes further to explain that some guilt may be beneficial in as much that it allows for the development of self-control and having a conscience

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